Casing perforator



W. L. CHURCH CASING PERFORATOR July 9, 1935.

Filed Aug. 21, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 74w 2ZZ (M111 TATE cri' panying drawings, wherein:

Fignrefi shows a Patented July 9, 1935 7 i oAsrNGPERFoRA'roR Walter ILQChurcli; Houston, Tex. Application'Augus't 21,1933, Serial No.'68'6,-06 v L delt s. (c1. 81-;88)

invention relates to a casing per forator.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool of the character described specially designed for use in perforating casing or other pipe in a'well Another object of the invention is to' provide a tool of the character described that may be set in the well. be perforated to permit the. inflow of fluid into the casing or perforatedpipe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool 'of the character described which may 'm rendered inoperative or inactive while in the well to the end that it may be further lowered after a perforating operation has been completed and then tripped and rendered active for the further perforation of the casingior pipe.

'Astill furtherobject of the invention is'to' pro- Qvide a storm; the character described through which fluid may be circulated from'a pumpfat the ground surface andjequipped with means for 'closing'the fluid passageway and'stopjping the pump at each' perforating operation.

With the above and other objectsin view the inventionh'as certain relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement ofhparts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accom- Figures 1, 2land '3 show vertical, sectional views of anupper, intermediate and lower section of the tool, Figure 3 showing the toolrpartly in elevation. V v Figure '4 shows a side View of the tool shown in vinactive position. l' r -lire 5 shows a side view thereof active position; I v i the line 61-6 of Figure 1. 1 e "1; Figure. '7 shows across sectional view, taken ontheiline 'I-lofr Figure 2. i

Figure 8 shows-a cross sectional view taken on the line 8+8 of Figure3. 7. I v Figure 9 shows a cross sectionaliview taken on theline 9 --9 of Figure 3, and Figure shows a fragmentary elevational view'of the perforator body Referring'now more particularly to thedraw ings wherein like numerals of reference desig natesimilar parts in each of the figures, the nu'ineral 5| designatesjhe perforator body conmedallions upper end of which there is the operating string 8 by the coupling 9. V

seen 2 of tubular formationand having the in side annular shoulder 3 at itslower end;-

Screwed int'e the-upper end of the shell-there is-the gland I having the inside vertical" grooves 5. There is a mandrel 6 which works through the gland 4 and ha's the vertical ribs (thereon which work in the grooves 5. "This mandrel is tubular and its upper end is connected to an.

The lower end of the mandrel 6 has anenlarged hammer-like head 'i o which fits loosely in the shell -2. v 7 h V Depending from the body I there is a shaft ll whose upper end has the flange l2 bolted to said body by "means of the bolts 13'. v

a 1 Threaded onto the lower end of the shaft-ll there is a guide l4 whose lower end is rounded on" or of oval formation; The upper end of the guide 14 isr-educed and provided with external coarse threads l5.

There is a tubular cage i6 around the shaft H whose lower end has themternal coarse threads to receive the threads l5.

The upper end-of the guide I l and the lower end of the cage were provided with the opposi'ng' oppositely directed shoulders I"! and 18 arranged to Linterengage when the cage is screwed onto said guide to prevent their intermeshing threads from making up too tight.

Adjacent and above said cage thereis a swive block 19 around the shaft H and closely s rounding said shaft there is a sectional sleeve 20 whose low-erend has the external annular end of said sleeve has an annular external flange 23 wihch fits into an inside annular groove 24 in the swivel block '19 whereby said cage and block are maintained in assembled relation but v are permitted to rotateone relative to-the other. s to lview-takenon r cm 5 sec 1 y V s provided with a deep socket 25 radiating The upper end of the shaft 11 is tubular, that from which are the elongated slots 28.

Within 'the'socket 25 there is a plunger 21, whose lower end has a cross pin28 which works through the slots 26 and whose ends are journaled inbearings in the swivel block l9.

The cage 16 has the longitudinal" radially extending slots 29 in which the friction dogs 30 are mounted and opposite these slots saidcasing has an inside tubular liner 3! which is secured in place by the upper and lower bolts 32, 33 which arescrewed through the cageinto said liner. Interposed between the liner 3| and the r espective friction dogs are the coil pressure springs 34 which hold said dogs yieldingly out- ;"PAQT T 2' Q' H Q I wardly. The outward movement of said dogs is limited by the engagement of its ends with the heads of the respective bolts 32, 33.

The lower end of the perforator body at one side, has the deep relatively narrow, longitudinal groove 35, which is widened downwardly and opposite said groove has a longitudinal external bearing rib 36.

Slidably mounted in said bearing groove 35 there is a block 31 forming a cutter carrier. The outer side of this carrier is provided with a narrow cutter bearing 38 whose upper side forms a shoulder 39, extending out approximately at right angles to the axis of the perforated body and whose lower side 40 diverges from said shoulder downwardly. A punch like cutter 4|, has its outer end pointed as at 42 and its inner end is seated in the bearing 38 and is mounted on the cross pin 43. The inner end of the cutter 4| is rounded off and the bottom of the bearing 38 is correspondingly shaped toreceive said rounded off inner end of the cutter. The ends of the pin 43,

on which the cutter 4| is mounted, work in the side slots 44, 44, said slots 44 being arranged diagonally with respect to the vertical .axis of the body and being arranged approximately parallel with the inner wall 45 of the groove 35.

As stated the operating stem 8 and mandrel 6 are tubular, thus providing a passageway for fluid and this passageway continues on down through the lower end of the shell 2 and through the upper end of the perforator body and terminates in'the upper end of the groove. 35 at the point 46.

In operation the tool is set, as illustrated in Figure 4, that is, the upper end of the guide I4 is screwed into the lower end of the cage IS with the cutter carrier 31 at the lower end of the groove35. The cutter 4| will be inits lower position as shown in Figure 2 out of contact with the casing 41;to be perforated. When the tool has been lowered to the desired location the operating stem 8 may be turned to the right to unscrew the guide |4 from the cage l5. During this operation the cage IE will be held stationary by the frictional contact of the dogs 30 with the casing 41.

As noted in Figure 8 the outer surfaces of these dogs are convex to conform to the curvature of the casing so as to provide a maximum gripping surface. When the guide 4 is unscrewed from the cage Hi the operating stem may be lowered, but the cage and the swivel block l9 will be held against downward movement by the frictional engagement with the dogs 30 with the casing. Upon such downward movement the block 31 will contact with the upper end of the plunger 21, which is also held stationary and said block 31,and the cutter 4 I mounted therein: will be held against downward movement, while the perforator body moves downwardly and the inner wall 45 ofthe groove 35 of said body will operate upon the block 31 with wedge like effect moving said block and cutter outwardly radially until the point. of the cutter 4| engages the wall of the casing 41.

Thereupon the operating stem 8 may be elevated and dropped alternately, the head I0 striking the shoulder 3 and gradually driving the perforator body downwardly relative to the block 31 with wedge-like effect, forcing said block further outwardly and causing the blade 4| to gradually assume a radial direction and to force itself through the wall of the casing thus perforating the same. Eventually'the block 31 will reach the upper end of the groove 35 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 thus closing the passageway to the cutter body and stalling the pump so that the operator may know the tool is working properly and that the pipe has been perforated. Thereupon the operating string 8 may be elevated to elevate the perforator body relative to the block 31, thus causing a withdrawal of the blade 3| from the perforation made by it and the tool may then be gradually rotated and elevated and the operation above described repeated until the casing has been perforated the number of times desired and if desired, the casing may be perforated on all sides from the point of beginning upwardly as far as necessary.

If it shouldbe desired to reset the tool so as to go deeper into the well for perforating operations, the operating stem 8 may be elevated and turned to the left so as to screw the guide l4 back into the lower end of the cage l6, and

the tool thus reset or rendered inactive until it is adjusted to the desired place for resuming operations. 1

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only, while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A pipe perforator shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and having a passageway for liquid and comprising a perforator body, a carrier movably mounted on the body, a blade on the carrier, said body and carrier having coacting parts effective to move the carrier outwardly to engage the blade with the pipe upon a longitudinal movement of the body relative to the carrier in one direction, impact means for effecting the further longitudinal movement of the body relative to the carrier whereby the blade is forced through the wall of the pipeand the carrier is relatively moved to a position to close said passageway.

2. A pipe perforator shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and comprising a body, a carrier mounted for longitudinal movement relative to the body provided with a bearing having an upper radial shoulder and whose lower side diverges downwardly from the shoulder, a cutter Whose inner end is pivotally mounted in said bearing in the carrier, said body and carrier having co-acting parts effective to move the carrier radially upon longitudinal movement of the body relative to the carrier, an anchor having grip means engageable with the pipe, means connected to the body and to the anchor whereby the body is normally held against downward movement relative to the anchor, said connecting means being releasable to permit the body to move downwardly relative to the anchor, and means on the anchor for engaging and holding the carrier against downward movement upon downward movement of the body whereby said carrier and cutter are forced outwardly to force the cutter through the wall of the pipe.

3. A pipe perforator shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and comprising a perforator body, an anchor engageable with said pipe, means connected to the body and to the anchor and normally preventing the downward movement of the body relative to the anchor, said means being re leasable to permit such downward movement of the body, a carrier movably mounted on the body having an outwardly flared bearing, a blade whose inner end is pivoted in the bearing i t carrier, means on the anchor to maintain. the carrier against downward movement, said body and carrier having coacting parts effectiveto move the carrier outwardly to engagethe blade with the pipe upon such downward movement of the body, and impact means to drive the body further downwardly to force said blade through the 'wall of the pipe.

4. A pipe perforator shaped to be inserted into,

a pipe and comprising an operating string, a perforator body thereon, an anchor engageable with the pipe, means connecting the body and anchor and normally preventing their relative longitudinal movement said connecting means being releasable to permit such relative movement, a carrier movably mounted on the body, a blade on the carrier, means on the anchor arranged to'hold the carrier against longitudinal movement relative to the pipe upon initial longitudinal move ment of the body, said body and carrier having coacting parts effective to move the carrier outwardly upon such initial movement to engage the cutter with the pipe, saidstring and body having a passageway for liquid therethrough, and means for imparting a final longitudinal movement to the body to effect a final relative movement of the carrier into position to close the passageway and force the cutter through the wall of the pipe.

A pipe perforator shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and comprising an operating string, a bodyv thereon, an anchor engageable with said pipe, a carrier on the body, a blade pivoted on the carrier, said carrier and blade being normally inactive but being relatively movable,

with respect to the body, into active position to force the blade through the wall of the pipe, a

stop on the carrier to limit the upward movehaving cooperating parts effective to. move the carrier and blade outwardlyinto said active position upon such downward movement of the body, said connecting means being arranged to be reconnected by manipulation of the string to render said carrier and blade inactive. V 6. A pipe perforator' shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and comprising an operating string, a body thereon, an anchor engageable with said pipe, a carrier on the body having a blade bearing whose upper side is approximately radial and whose lower side diverges downwardly from said upper side, a blade whose inner end is pivotally mounted in said bearing, said carrier and. blade being normally inactive but-being movable as a unit relative to the body into active position to force the blade through the wall of the pipe, means'connecting the body and anchor and normally preventing the downward movement of the body relative to the anchor to maintain the carrier and blade in said inactive position, said connecting means being releasable to permit the downward movement of the body relative to the anchor and having an actuator therein to arrest the downward movement of the carrier upon such downward movement of the body, said body and carrier having cooperating parts effective to move the'carrier and blade outwardly into said active position upon such downward movement of the body, said connecting means being arrangedto be reconnected by manipulation of the string to render the carrier and blade inactive.

7. A pipe perforator shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and comprising an operating string, a body thereon, an anchor engageable with said pipe, a carrier on the'body having a blade bearing whose lower side declines outwardly relative to the vertical axis of the body, a blade whose inner end is pivotally mounted in said bearing, a stop above the bearing arranged to limit the upward movement of the blade to an approximately radial position relative tothe body, said carrier 7 and blade being normally inactive but being movable as a unit relative to the body into active position to force the blade through the wall of the pipe, means connecting the body and anchor and normally preventing the downward movement of the body relative to the anchor to maintain the carrier and blade in said inactive position, said connecting means being releasable to permit the downward movement of the body relative to the 1 anchor and having an actuator therein to arrest the downward movement of the carrier upon such downward movement of the body, said body and carrier having cooperating parts effective to move the carrier and blade outwardly into said active position upon such downward movement of the body, said connecting means being arranged to be reconnected by. manipulation of the string to render the carrier and blade inactive.

WALTER L. CI-IURCH. 

